- Acute chlorine exposure produced predominantly respiratory symptoms in 90.3% of cases; all patients were male, mean age 32.3 years.
- Clinical outcomes included 25.8% hospital admission, three intensive care admissions, and no fatalities.
- Study recommends standardised clinical management, public awareness, and stricter industrial safety oversight to mitigate future chemical exposures.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2026 Oct 21;20:e192. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2026.10468.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical manifestations of acute chlorine gas exposure and evaluate recovery outcomes at 48 hours and 14 days post-exposure.
METHODS: Retrospective observational case series of 31 patients exposed to chlorine gas during a mass incident in Sohar, Oman. Information regarding clinical presentation, treatment outcomes, and post-treatment complications was collected using a structured data collection tool to ensure consistency and accuracy during data extraction. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v31.
RESULTS: Thirty-one patients presented to the study site and were included in the analysis. All were male with a mean age of 32.3 ± 9.4 years. At presentation, 90.3% of patients were symptomatic, with respiratory manifestations being the most reported symptoms. Eight patients (25.8%) required admission, including 3 admitted to the intensive care unit. At 48-hour follow-up, 18 (58.1%) remained symptomatic. Nine of 29 patients who attended follow-up on day 14 reported persistent symptoms, most commonly cough. No fatalities occurred.
CONCLUSION: This study reports on the clinical course of acute chlorine exposure, highlighting that recovery often exceeds 2 weeks. Findings underscore the need for standardized clinical management, public awareness, and more rigorous industrial safety oversight to mitigate future chemical surge impacts.
PMID:42904314 | DOI:10.1017/dmp.2026.10468
Share Evidence Blueprint
Save to Google Notes
Search Google Scholar
Save as PDF
⭐ My Revision List
